With God’s Help

With God’s help we will do mighty things, for he will trample down our foes.

Psalm 60:12

Psalm 60 was written in a time when Israel had been reeling under God’s judgment. He had used Israel’s enemies to discipline the people for their faithlessness. In this context, David cried out for the Lord to help Israel overcome her foes. He recognized that human strength alone would not be enough (60:11). Yet he had confidence in the Lord’s power: “With God’s help we will do mighty things, for he will trample down our foes” (60:12).

As we read this psalm today, few of us are preparing for literal battle against national enemies. Yet we all face opposition in our lives: fears that threaten to keep us from living for God each day, challenges that seem overwhelming, temptations that have tormented us for years. Our foes can also be external: a society that increasingly opposes the free expression of our faith, a culture that prizes sin, even religious leaders whose hearts and minds have turned away from God’s Word. Our enemies, though they do not wield swords and spears, can keep us from living boldly for God, serving him in every facet of life.

Thus we need the encouragement of Psalm 60:12 every bit as much as David and the Israelites needed it. With God’s help, we also will do mighty things. God will trample our foes so that we might prevail in the work of his kingdom. As Paul puts it in Philippians 4:13: “For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.” As we lean upon the Lord, as we walk in his ways, as we offer our lives to him in whole-life worship, the Triune God will empower us beyond our greatest expectations (Eph. 3:20).

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: What are the “enemies” you’re facing right now? How do you need to experience God’s power in your life today?

PRAYER: Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are filled with your glory!

You are, indeed, a God of power and might. With your help, Lord, I can do mighty things. You have the power to defeat the foes I face, those enemies that keep me from serving you with all that I am.

With this confidence, I ask you to be powerful in my life. Defeat my foes, so that I might live my whole life for you. Energize me by your Spirit to do mighty things. Give me boldness in faith and faithfulness in obedience.

All praise be to you, Almighty God, for your power at work in and through me. Amen.

Image courtesy of Laity Lodge, one of our sister programs in the Foundations for Laity Renewal.